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fanfictalkdotcom · 7 years ago

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Sortings of House of Night Characters by MalfoysAngel

Okay so the House of Night Series by PC and Kristin Cast is one of my favorites. In the series, a teenage girl from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma named Zoey Redbird gets marked as a fledgling vampyre and must move into the Tulsa House of Night, while there she will either complete the change into a full vampyre or she'll die. Along the way she discovers that she has a special gift given to her by the goddess Nyx, and she must use this gift to battle an ancient evil. Of course she can't do this without the help of her friends Damien, Shawnee, Erin, Aphrodite, Stark, and Stevie Rae. Each of these powerful fledglings has a gift that combined with the power of their friendship will help Zoey on her mission. The series has been described as Twilight meets Harry Potter so it’s only fitting that I attempt to sort the main characters. CAUTION MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD Zoey Redbird (Montgomery)--Zoey is the main character in the series and has a lot on her plate. After being marked she has a disastrous experience at her home since her step-loser is an elder of an extremist religious group called The People of Faith she takes off to her Grandmother’s house (Sylvia Redbird) while there, she has an accident and Nyx appears to her when she wakes up, she finds her mark is completely filled in. this is unusual as most fledgings’ marks are an outline of a crescent moon. She soon discovers that Nyx gave her a VERY special gift: she has an affinity for all 5 elements Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Spirit. She uses her gift to save the life of Aphrodite and takes over leadership of The Dark Daughters, a school group that was known for being mean to outsiders. Over the course of the series, she learns that everything is not what it seems at the House of Night and while she makes classic teenage mistakes, she has to save the world from someone she used to trust. Along the way her friends help her and they discover their own goddess-given gifts. While she can easily fit into any house, Zoey is a true GRYFFINDOR because while she is terrified and unwilling sometimes to do what she must, she is brave enough to stand against the evil even when no one else is. She shows a great amount of courage which to me is a very important characteristic. Anyone can be brave, not everyone can be courageous and Zoey is one of those people, she stands her ground and sticks to her beliefs even when at times she is standing alone. Damien Maslin--Say what you want about him, Damien is the person you want as your gay best friend. He is confident in his own skin and his sexuality but like the rest of us, he has his doubts when it comes to the serious stuff and it takes a lot to get him to doubt himself. He is a great friend to Zoey and is oftentimes the voice of reason and the peacemaker of the group, especially when the Twins are insulting Aphrodite. As part of Zoey’s elemental circle representing the element Air, he is unique in that he actually has an affinity for the element as males in the Vampyre society usually have affinities or talents that are more masculine and physical and elemental affinities are usually given to females. He is unique and that’s what makes him easily one of my favorite characters in the series. He doesn’t let the opinions of others get to him and is always ready to give advice to those who need it. Neferet underestimates him and the rest of Zoey’s circle multiple times and she always pays the price. His sorting is easy: he is extremely intelligent and is often relied on for research and has a vast vocabulary that confuses many people sometimes. He uses reason and logic to get through events that would kill a normal human but he is able to keep a level head and help Stark find his connection to the Isle of Skye to help Zoey after her soul shatters. After his mate Jack dies at the hands of Neferet, Damien knows that Jack is with Nyx in the otherworld and is able to accept that because of his affinity to air and his ability to keep a cool demeanor. Damien belongs in RAVENCLAW there’s no doubt about it. Shawnee Cole & Erin Bates-- Anyone familiar with this series would understand that these two have to be sorted together as they are two halves of one whole. While they are totally different in looks (Shawnee is described as a lovely mocha color and is from Connecticut while Erin is a blue-eyed blond from Tulsa) they are exactly alike in mindset and similar in personality. In Zoey’s circle, Shawnee represents the element of Fire and Erin represents Water. These contrasting elements represent the core differences in their personality.This duo does a great job of keeping Zoey balanced and remain loyal to each other and the “Nerd Herd” no matter what. Their loyalty isn’t obvious when you first get to know them because they do like to insult people (Their favorite target is Aphrodite) but once you’re in the inner circle, they are loyal to the end even if they do insult your wardrobe, vocabulary choices, or your decision not to cuss. This loyalty places them in HUFFLEPUFF although, because they are ambitious and mischievous Slytherin would be an easy choice for these two. Their undying loyalty to their friends and Vampyredom in general, place the Twins in Hufflepuff although they would do VERY well in Slytherin, and probably raise hackles because they would insist on redecorating, they would be a hatstall and would raise hell if anyone tried to separate them by placing them in different houses or dorm rooms. I really don’t know what else to say about these two. Their sorting has been the most difficult so far to figure out. Stevie Rae Johnson--Stevie Rae is Zoey’s best friend and her roommate before she dies and then comes back as a red vampyre meaning her crescent tattoo is a brilliant shade of crimson instead of midnight blue. When she is resurrected, she has no trace of her humanity or her elemental affinity. It is through Zoey and Aphrodite that she is able to gain her humanity back and her Earth affinity. When this happens. Stevie Rae becomes the first full red vampyre and a high priestess, with this comes an enormous amount of responsibility and there are times when she might crack under the pressure. But she uses her affinity to help keep her steady. The earth is her rock just like she is Zoey’s rock. She offers a unique perspective on the events in the series that only someone that has died and then undied can give. She makes a ton of mistakes including summoning the bulls that represent Light and Darkness and as a result has to pay with her blood. Stevie Rae is a tough one to sort because everything she has been through has shaped her and her personality and outlook on life has changed with each seemingly catastrophic event. Before she died, she would have easily been in Hufflepuff but after she has been touched by Darkness, I’m torn between Slytherin and Gryffindor for her because she is brave enough to stand up to her friends when it comes to her Raven Mocker consort, Rephaim but at the same time she knows how people like Neferet and Kalona think because she used to be one of them. At the end of the day she made the right choice but it is always a struggle for her so if I had to choose between the two of them, I would have to go with GRYFFINDOR because at the end of the day she chooses to go against her base instincts and chooses her humanity and the path of Nyx instead of the Darkness. Heath Luck--Heath is a human who has been Zoey’s other half since the third grade (sorta like Cory and Topanga) he knows how she thinks and how she’ll react to certain things. While he is lovable and cute in addition to being the star quarterback on Broken Arrow High School’s football team, his actions and ignorance to how Zoey’s life is changing now that she’s been marked puts the both of them in danger several times. The boy almost gets eaten by ghosts and undead vampyres before having his memory wiped by Neferet. Pretty boy remains loyal to Zoey no matter what (I mean seriously the kid gets told no and to go away at least 5 times in each book before he dies and he still stays with Zoey) and it’s this loyalty that ultimately gets him killed when Kalona breaks his neck. His death causes Zoey’s soul to literally shatter and he has to make the ultimate sacrifice to decide to move on in the otherword so Zoey can pull herself back together and finish saving the real world. He is the boy every girl would want to be theirs (Hell even I want him and I know he’s fictional). He is Zoey’s soul mate, first true love, first boyfriend, consort, human best friend, and is promised by Nyx to always be able to find his Zoey in this life and the next.(The only things missing are a couple name changes and a rough around the edges best friend named Shawn and you would have Cory and Topanga’s relationship when it comes to Zoey and Heath) His undying loyalty to Zoey puts him in HUFFLEPUFF but Gryffindor would suit him well. Aphrodite LaFonte--Aphrodite is the spoiled rich kid of the series (Think Draco Malfoy spoiled) her father is the mayor of Tulsa and her mother is a….well let’s just say she’s not a very nice person. At the beginning of the series, Aphrodite isn’t a very nice person either and hides her visions from the people that can actually help but she does change her ways and becomes one of Zoey’s closest friends and a trusted adviser. At first many of the main characters do not trust her because of her past choices but she does eventually gain the trust of Stevie Rae, Damien and Stark. (The Twins trust her only when it comes to shoe sales) She is the product of bad parenting and is doing her best not to let her past define her and to stay on the path of Nyx but, like Stevie Rae, it is a daily struggle. While she hasn’t been touched by darkness, her role as prophetess of Nyx allows her to see Darkness when it manifests and she is able to warn Zoey of the dangers of Kalona, Neferet, and for a brief moment, Stevie Rae. She is the cheerleader turned outcast turned hero that everyone loves to hate but secretly likes. While some may disagree with me because she does change her way of thinking as the series progresses, I would have to place Aphrodite in SLYTHERIN because she does have the ability to think like the bad guys since she used to be one. James Stark--James Stark is Zoey’s vampyre consort/mate/boyfriend/guardian/warrior (the kid wears many hats) He has great skill with an arrow and no matter what can always hit his mark. When he is first introduced, he is a smart-aleck “better than you” blue fledgling but after telling Zoey about his unique gift he dies and then comes back as a red fledgling. It is through Zoey that he is able to regain his humanity and make the change into a red vampyre after giving Zoey his Warrior’s Oath. He even goes as far as to allow him to be injured to the point of almost dying again in order to become Zoey’s guarding and help her pull her soul back together. There is an attempt to use him for the forces of evil and while it succeeds for a little while, he quickly comes to his senses. He is a tough one to sort because he is well read, loyal, brave, has a short temper and has been touched by Darkness. He is a great combination of every house and with his loyalty, it would be easy to sort him into Hufflepuff, but if I had to put him somewhere, I would put him with Zoey in GRYFFINDOR he needs to be at Zoey’s side in order to be happy and to separate them would do them both harm. It sounds worse than it actually is but if you read the series, you would understand why these two need to be together. It might not be the best house for Stark but if he was placed anywhere else, he would throw a fit until he got placed in Gryffindor anyway so it’s better to put him with Zoey than argue with him. Last but not least, we have the main villain, Neferet. Neferet--Neferet is the main villain in the series and she lets you know it. She is the most dangerous type of antagonist because she can bend and twist words to make you seem like the bad person to the rest of the world. She has everybody (Well almost everybody)at the Tulsa House of Night and the Vampyre High Council fooled and thinking that Zoey is just a jealous teenager. The easiest way to describe Neferet is female american version of Voldemort. This woman is pure evil and hates humans because of an event that happened with her father. Her goal is to use Kalona and his army of raven mockers to destroy the human race starting with the city of Tulsa. She is allied with Darkness and is willing to pay the price that it requires for its services, usually her blood but she has used the blood of an innocent that Darkness was unable to taint (Jack) and kills Zoey’s mom. Seriously the woman is evil personified and in league with the White Bull(the physical representation of Darkness). She slowly becomes an immortal and will stop at nothing to get what she wants, including trapping another immortal (Kalona). Her ambition and cunning, easily place her in SLYTHERIN and that’s not just because she’s evil. She doesn’t care who she has to run over and only does things if it benefits her. I can go on and on about her actions and just how evil she is but if you take Voldemort’s endgame and combine it with Bellatrix’s crazy, you have Neferet. Seriously people go read this series if you haven’t already!!!

#house of night #zoey redbird #damien maslin #shawnee cole #erin bates #stevie rae johnson #heath luck #aphrodite lafonte #james stark #neferet #other fandom sorting #Sorting Hat #hogwarts sorting #hpft sorting #submission

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mcfluffington · 8 years ago

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House of Night fans?

I've noticed a real lack of HoN fans on tumblr, and it makes me sad. I need someone to talk about HoN with! If you're a fan, don't hesitate to message me! A new book is being released for the 10 year anniversary and I'm sooooooo excited

#house of night #zoey redbird #James stark #stevie rae #kalona #Damien maslin #nyx #rephaim

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shuffledrpg · 8 years ago

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*✧·˚. – hey, that’s [ DAMIEN MASLIN ] from [ TULSA, OK ]. some people say he looks like [ LOGAN LERMAN ]. he’s [ NINETEEN ] and lives in room number [ 510 ] in unit [ 5 ]. he has a reputation for being [ SMART ] and [ DEDICATED ], but also [ BLUNT ] and [ FLAMBOYANT ]. // james, est, ( house of night )

welcome to magnolia, damien maslin ! we hope you enjoy your stay & you have 12 hours to send in your paperwork. if you need an extension, feel free to ask.

#literature rp #house of night rp #book rp #appless rp #fandom rp #accepted #damien maslin #requlusblacks

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thefoxesraven · 3 years ago

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Fates | Chapter 1: The Start

Let's start this story off simple. If you're reading this, you know that I was Perseus Jackson; Son of Posideon, and Sally Jackson, stepson of Paul Blofis. The child of the Big Three that had the fate of the world on my shoulder when I turned 16. What you don't know and wouldn't know is that my life took a hard right into being painfully unfair when school started the next school year after the titan war. So, sit down and grab a cup of coffee while I tell you about how I got wrapped into some cosmic bull shit this time.

It was a few weeks into September, and my stepdad and I were in the school counselors office of Goode High School. Paul was a well-respected English Teacher at Goode- well-respected as a public school teacher could be. So I was trying my best to focus on what the counselor was saying- but it was shit I've heard at every school and could resight in time while I covered my ears. I was positive I was sick with the flu or something, which should have been impossible due to the Curse of Achilles. Now, I would have stayed home, but I couldn't afford to do just that. I already missed weeks of school due to the nightmares that kept me up from the titan war. The images of Annabeth taking a fatal blow for me, the faces of those we lost haunted my dreams. It made me not want to sleep, so I just didn't. Until recently, when those dreams changed. I sit alone in an open field, the moon and stars shining a bright, comforting glow onto me while a voice similar to my mom's tells me it will all be okay. I was finally getting a good night's rest.

My sleep wasn't my counselor's concern; instead, her concern was directed at my missed school days. Even though I was an all-B student. I could hear Paul's words become more strained as he explained how it shouldn't be a concern as I still made sure to get the work done and on time. It was all going as well as it could until Paul stood up and took a deep breath, and smiled.

"Debbie, you are a fantastic colleague, but in all due respect, this meeting is unnecessary and extremely disrespectful." Paul's words caused the room to grow quiet and still. He straightened out his button-down shirt and then motioned for me to exit the room.

So I did. I closed the door and heard Paul's voice raise. I saw that as my cue to walk to my locker and gather my things. The halls were quiet as I walked, coughing, causing my lungs to burn. Typically multiple students were staying after school for clubs and sports. It seemed like everyone decided to take a day off except for the guy next to my locker watching. I probably should have become alarmed, but something kept my typical paranoia at bay. Allowing me to open my locker and gather my textbooks into my backpack while holding back gross wet coughs that burned my lungs. I closed the door, put my bag on my shoulder, and looked up to see the guy.

He had pail skin and sapphire tattoos framed his face and met at the crescent moon on his forehead. His eyes seemed to stare into me like he was looking at my soul directly. I didn't get to really process what was happening as he raised his hand, focusing it on me. That's when he spoke;

"Perseus Jackson, Night has chosen thee. Harken to Deaths' sweet voice. Your journey begins at the House of Night."

Suddenly I had a piercing headache that distracted me from the words said. I dropped my bag and drew my hands to face trying to figure out what was happening. Okay, so I knew what had just happened, but I was deep in denial. There was no doubt that I was just marked by a vampyre (yes, vampyre) Tracker. Apparently, the goddess of the night decided she needed to have the son of the sea god as one of her "children." At least I knew why I was so sick. I was dying.

"Percy, are you okay?" It was Paul's voice, cue my mild panic attack and him turning me around to face him. His eyes got wide, then pulled him into a hug. "Alright, the first thing we are doing is getting you home." Paul picked up my bag and put his arm on my back to lead me outside. The lights had all of a sudden got really bright, and I struggled to keep my eyes open. As we got into the family car, I sat in the passenger seat and heard Paul talking over the phone. I could listen to my mom's voice grow in worry as Paul tried his best to explain what was going on. I felt like crying. I wanted to curl up in my mama's arms and cry. I wanted her to tell me it was going to be okay- even though we both knew that wasn't for sure.

The one thing that stands out to me is that I didn't even think about Annabeth and how she would take the news. I was just worried about my mom. That didn't change until we had gotten to our apartment complex. I remember how warm that first hug felt. My mom immediately wrapped me in a warm tight hug which I melted into. When she let go, she turned my face to look at the crescent moon outline that I was sure was present on my forehead. She looked past me to what I assumed to be Paul, and I heard the front door close.

"Percy, are you okay?" My mom asked me as her full attention was on me. I looked at her and saw the worry in her eyes under the concern she had for me.

I shook my head, a lump in my throat and my chest burning. "No," I said as I felt my cheeks start getting wet. "Everything is going too fast, I hurt all over, and I don't even know how to tell Annabeth what has happened." The words just fell out of my mouth, and right after, I started another coughing fit.

That didn't stop my mom from brushing the tears off my cheeks. "Don't worry about telling Annabeth." She told me as I felt my chest getting tighter. "Go and start to pack at least a suitcase with your clothes. Paul is going to find the fastest root to the New York house of Night; I am going to make you something to ease your throat from this coughing."

I nodded, trying to hold back another fit before my saint of a mom removed her hands from my face, and she moved to the kitchen, going to the cupboard. I made my way to my room, getting out the suitcase under my bed packing my clothes. I don't know what it was about, but being alone to pack made me relax, and the coughing didn't hurt as bad. Well, until I grabbed the CHB t-shirt from my closet. So many memories in one article of clothing. So many potential memories that wouldn't ever see the light of day. The dam broke once again; I just fell to the floor holding the t-shirt and started to cry.

I never knew what my future was going to be. All I did know is that I wanted Annabeth to be a part of it- but that want doesn't seem to be possible with this change I was being forced to go through. What was she going to think? Would she want to continue our relationship? Was it fair for me to desperately hope that answer is yes? I started sobbing to the point my whole body was shaking, and my coughing fits came more frequently. I began to feel like I couldn't breathe, so I quickly took off the hoodie I was wearing. That was when I felt my mom's hand on my back as she started to rub it in circular motions like she did when I was little.

I started to calm down, and she took the t-shirt out of my hand, which caused me to look up as she packed it into the suitcase. She gave me a patient smile grabbing the travel mug that smelled like mint tea and ginger handing it to me as she sat down next to me.

"Leave it to my son to be able to get all his clothes into a single carry-on suitcase." She said with a chuckle, clearly trying to make me feel better. "I put some honey in the tea; it should soothe your throat. Paul has worked out the best route for the trip. Shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes- gods willing, we won't have to deal with New York traffic."

I chuckled a bit and held the travel mug in my hands. "Why does this stuff keep happening to me?" I got out, a cold chill racing through my body.

"I don't know," My mom said, and I didn't have to look at her to know she was holding back her own tears. "I wish I knew; I wish I had all the answers for you."

I stood up slowly and steadied myself against my bed as I felt very dizzy. "We probably shouldn't stall this trip," I said softly, and I felt my mom bring me into a hug.

"Percy," She said softly, holding me close. "You're going to be; everything will be okay."

Paul was right. It took us 20 minutes to get to the House of Night. I'm sure Paul would get a ticket a couple of times, but he didn't. By the time we got to the House of Night, I had finished the tea my mom had made for me, so I had left the mug in the car. Not like I was going to need it. I got out of the backseat and looked over at the big building that seemed to loom over me. I felt my mom put her arm around me, and I grabbed my suitcase from her. The three of us walked in through the main doors, and it was like a magic spell washed over me. Or, more appropriately, it felt like I just drank some nectar and ambrosia after a long battle. My lungs stopped burning, and I didn't have an urge to cough. I got so distracted by myself, instantly feeling better, that I didn't notice the tall woman with dark hair and emerald eyes.

"A pleasure to meet you; I am Sally Jackson." I looked over and saw my mom shaking the women's hand. The woman had vampyre Tattoos that framed her face in a wave-like pattern. Meeting at the filled-out crescent moon circling like it was in a whirlpool. "This is my son Perseus Jackson and my Husband Paul Blofis."

The woman nodded and had a gentle smile. "We've been expecting Perseus. My name is Antiope; I am the High Priestess of this House of Night. It is significantly rare for a Demigod to be marked by our goddess. If it is any comfort, you won't have to worry about the monsters as you go through the change and eventually complete it."

"Excuse me?" I asked as the three of us went quiet, and Antipoe started to chuckle- but kindly. Like how a teacher chuckles when a kid gets really surprised by a simple scientific fact- like vinegar and baking soda causes a bubbly reaction.

"I see that Camp Half-Blood still has a horrible habit of not telling its campers everything," Antiope said gently. "Vampyre's can see through the mist that the hidden world of Demigods and Gods is under. So as a truce of some sorts, we vampyres have agreed to keep that world a secret, and the gods let us have our peace. The monsters leave us alone because our scent repeals them instead of enticing them."

"So, I'm safe as a vampyre?" I asked, and Antiope nodded with a smile.

"Yes, though technically, you are only a fledgling until you make the change and get your full mark."

"I guess this is more of a blessing than I thought," I said, which caused my mother and Paul to chuckle a little bit, clearly relaxing.

"Indeed, now Sally and Paul, I want you both to know that you have my vow and word that Perseus will be well taken care of here," Antipoe said, placing her right hand in a fist over her heart. "I will personally see that if anything changes, it is for the better."

I looked over at Paul and my mom, and they both immediately pulled me into a hug. "You call us if your nightmares come back."

Paul whispered into my ears, and my mom kissed my cheek. "We are just a phone call away if you need to talk."

I hugged them tighter I breathing became shaky as I felt the tears welling up. "Okay," I said as the dam of tears. My mom ran her thumb on my cheek and smiled.

They both left, and I turned around to see Antipoe with her hands cupped in front of her. "Come, Perseus. We have more things to discuss regarding your future here at the House of Night."

"Yes, ma'am," I said, and she chuckled again.

"No need to be so formal when we are alone," Antipoe said as she led me into her office. "You and I are brother and sister after all."

"We're what!?" I exclaimed as she closed the door.

"Don't be alarmed," Antipoe said, smiling as she pulled out some paperwork. "I was born in 1850 and was marked in 1866 making the change in 1870."

"You look surprisingly well," I said, and Antipoe couldn't hold back her laughter.

"So will you when you turn 159." She said and handed me a book. "This is your fledgling handbook. I recommend that you carry it with you if you have any questions. You'll find that this book explains that vampyres have extended lifespans that really only end in tragedy. You won't find a vampyre that has died of natural causes."

"Sounds like the Hunters of Artemis," I said offhandedly, looking at the cover and looking up to see Antipoe nodding.

"A very similar trade-off," Antipoe said as she placed some documents facing me on the desk. "Now time for some paperwork. As a fledgling, you become legally emancipated from your guardian. You can legally change your name to start your new life, so Perseus, is there a name you wish to legally be known as?"

I didn't have to think long when she asked me that question. I mean, I do (typically) correct people that I go by Percy, not Perseus, when they use Perseus.

"Percy Blofis," I said, and Antipoe smiled and handed me what looked like a school schedule. It was one, so I started to read it, curious about what type of classes fledglings had to take.

Percy Blofis, Entering Third Former, 09/15/2009

Okay, I'll admit it did freak me out that it was dated five days before I was marked and had the name I chose to change it to. That, however, didn't really keep my interest for long as I read the list of classes and times I would take them.

1st hour - 8pm - Vampyre Sociology 101 - Rm. 312 - Prof. Antipoe

2nd hour - 9pm - Drama 101 - Performing Arts Center - Prof. Cassiopia

Sketching 101 - Rm. 215 - Prof. Dio

Intro to Music - Rm. 214 - Prof. Merrida

3rd hour - 10pm - Lit 101 - Rm. 216 - Prof. Demeter

4th hour - 11pm - Fencing - Gymnasium - Prof. Mars

LUNCH BREAK

5th hour - 1am - Spanish 101 - Rm 314 - Prof. Luciana

6th hour - 2am - Parkour- Roof - Prof. Jason

I looked back up, and Antipoe must have noticed the confused look on my face because she kindly explained the schedule to me. "We vampyres are a nocturnal people. Even now, I suspect you feel miles better than you did before you arrived, yet you still feel tired and worn out." I nodded even though she didn't ask it as a question. "So classes start at 8pm, and end at 3am. It is currently 5:30pm, and most of our students are asleep in their dorms. They should all be up around 6pm to get ready for their day." She smiled at me and stood up from her desk to put the documents away. "Let's give you a small tour."

Get the full fic on any of these websites: Fanfiction.net Wattpad Archive Of Our Own Quotev

#percy jackson and the olympians #the house of night #crossover au #cannon divergence #crossposted on wattpad #crossposted on ao3 #crossposted on fanfiction.net #crossposted on quotev #percy jackson #zoey redbird #damien maslin #shaunee cole #erin bates #stevie rae johnson #did I write a fanfiction like this one already?#yes #yes i did #i didn't like it and now i'm starting again

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houseofzoeyotherworld · 4 years ago

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Hi, I'm gay: This is the free space. Gay men are artsy: Grandma appeases Jack and his anxiety about Damien going to the Other World by suggesting he help her make and hang light catchers around the school. Gay tragedy: Odin exists to die. We don't even find out he's queer until after his death, and even then it's only in the context of his partner's grief. Interior design: Jack, of course, is busy with flower arragements and prep for the opening night of the new depot restaurant. Gay couples still have a man & a woman: When the portal first appears that brings James and Kevin over to Zoey's world, Jack immediately throws himself into Damien's arms in terror, which feels very much like a swooning woman stereotype.

Jack barely appeared in this book. Shaylin and Nicole didn't appear at all. We had a background couple mentioned in passing, with one of the partners being brutally murdered to further the plot. The only character who had any real role in the story was Damien, and even then it was just to exposit information and be the smart guy - he had no agency or personal subplot to speak of, and pretty much faded into the background of most scenes.

#House of Zoey Otherworld #found #homosexual bingo with Damien Maslin

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semper-legens · 2 years ago

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131. Marked, by PC and Kristin Cast

Owned?: No, library Page count: 348 My summary: Zoey is just a regular teenage girl - until she is Marked, starting to change into a vampyre. She must move to the House of Night, an elite school for fledgeling vampyres, or die. But Zoey has been marked by the goddess Nyx, and pretty soon finds herself embroiled in a fight for vampyre-kind’s future. She’s changing so fast...but will she survive to become a full-fledged vampyre? My rating: Enjoyment-wise, 5/5. But for quality, it’s a 1 My commentary:

This book series is bad. No two ways about it. There are very few redeeming features about it. And yet, the whole thing fills me with a slightly-shameful and certainly unparalleled glee. I read these books when they were shiny and new, and I liked them because it was the Twilight era and I didn’t know better. Now I do! Honestly, this opening book isn’t so bad as the later ones, it gets way more batshit later on...but that doesn’t mean it’s good, either.

Zoey is such an annoying protagonist. Her POV is what I call #quirky - trying far too hard to be an awkward, kinda dorky, everywoman. The trouble is that she’s so judgemental of literally everyone she meets. She’s disdainful to her human best friend, keeps calling other girls sluts and hos without knowing anything about them, and her judgement is always right. This is to the point where the problem with mean girl Aphrodite’s midnight ritual is because she’s dancing ‘slutty’. Like, this is the actual quote: ‘It didn’t work because it seemed like a crude imitation of Neferet’s dance to ‘She Walks in Beauty’. If this music was a poem, it would be more like ‘Some Ho Grinds Her Bootie.’ There’s also a racial aspect to her POV - her friend who is black is constantly described as looking like an African princess, but Aphrodite’s mean girl friend who is black has long hair which ‘must be a good weave’. Zoey herself has Cherokee descent, which seems to exist just to make her more Special and connected to the vampyre goddess Nyx, who is also a Cherokee spirit when it suits her apparently. I do not know much about Cherokee religion and culture, but I doubt that this is it.

And yeah, this suffers from the problem that Zoey is just super special for no real reason and gets everything handed to her on a plate. Good people like her, bad people hate her. The token hot boy thinks she’s so interesting. She’s the only fledgeling to have her mark completely filled in ever (more on that later). The head of the school takes her on as a mentee. She’s connected to the goddess more than any fledgeling ever. And she doesn’t work at any of this, she just gets it handed to her. The only thing she actively does is a ritual at the end, and even that just comes to her naturally. There’s no real struggle, no real tension. All her friends are ride-or-die for her after like a week at best.

The politics of this book are also weird. I’ve mentioned the racial stuff before, but I wanna talk about Damien. He’s Zoey’s gay friend, and we’re told that Zoey hates homophobes and is totally okay with him being gay. Okay. Sure. Here’s how Zoey’s introduced to Damien. ‘And this is the token guy in our group, Damien Maslin. But he’s gay, so I don’t really think he counts as a guy.’ Damien is apparently okay with this. He acts as the stereotypical Gay Best Friend, he’s sassy, but he ‘wasn’t a swishy girly-guy; he was just a cute kid with a likeable style’. It’s so stereotypical and homophobic. There’s also this weird throughline with the vampyre kids - you’ve got four years to mature into a regular vampyre, or your body could reject the Change and you die. But the sign that you’re rejecting the Change is that you’re fat and lazy and greasy and a loser. It’s horribly fatphobic! Zoey hates ‘weird fat kids’ too, in her overly-judgemental way.

Finally, the worldbuilding here is...weird. I don’t want to be all ‘ugh vampires have to have these exact traits, no creativity allowed’, because they’re not real, people should have some freedom to put their own spin on it. That said, these vampyres don’t need to fear the light, don’t by necessity need to drink blood, don’t have fangs, have a goddess and participate in neo-Pagan rituals to honour her, have inherent magical powers, get a magical face tattoo to show they’re vampyres, are opposed by fundamentalist Christian groups...why is this about vampires, and not witches? A lot of this worldbuilding would make more sense if it was about witches. I get that this was during the Twilight vampire craze, but if this was about witches, like half of the worldbuilding weirdness would be totally eradicated.

Ugh. Fuck this book, but also, it was very fun to revisit. I did look to see if the library had the rest of the series, but it didn’t, and I’m not buying them. So, unless I find my old copies in the attic or something, farewell, House of Night! You were terrible.

Next up, a wholly better piece of YA, and a dystopian future.

#House of Night #PC Cast #Kristin Cast #bookblr #book blog #1

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